


Temptation Waits

by kitlee625



Category: Leverage
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-31
Updated: 2015-08-31
Packaged: 2018-04-18 05:25:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4693712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitlee625/pseuds/kitlee625
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five times Nate resisted temptation, and one time he didn’t.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Temptation Waits

**Author's Note:**

> Title comes from the song “Temptation Waits” by Garbage.

“Yeah, I still feel, uh --”  
“What? Guilty? About Sam?”  
“No, no, not that. Well yeah, and other things, but --”  
“You never cheated on her Nate.”  
“I know. I know. Tempted.”  
“No, no, you weren’t.”  
“I was.”

 

1\. Los Angeles 

"Nate, do you have a minute?"

Nate looks up from his computer and motions his boss into his office. "Sure, come in."

His boss drops a file in front of him. "One of our clients in Rome had half his art collection stolen. It's going to cost the company a fortune if we can't recover it."

From what Nate had heard about the case when it was first reported, it is going to be damn near impossible to recover the collection. Whoever stole it was very, very good and had left the police with no evidence and no leads. Part of him envies Owen for getting such a challenging case, the other half relieved that the seemingly inevitable failure will go on someone else’s record.

"Owen's one of the best," he says. "If he can't find it --"

"He's been there almost a week already and hasn’t gotten anywhere. I need you to go out there to take over the case."

Nate looks surprised. "But sir, I'm in the middle of the Millbrook case."

They both know that it is a flimsy excuse. The Millbrook case is nothing a first year investigator could not handle. Normally Nate would refuse such a boring assignment, but it is local, and Sam has his first baseball game coming up. After missing every tee ball game last season because of work, he has promised Maggie and Sam not to miss this one.

His boss shakes his head. "We need you on this one, Nate. We think that woman is involved."

He knows immediately who his boss is referring to. It has been over a year since he last saw Sophie Devereaux in Damascus, but he has kept tabs on her progress through the complaints of his colleagues. The fact that she had managed to escape with the Matisse after being handcuffed to a post had soured his boss’s opinion of his skills, but given that his colleagues have had even less luck than him, it seems they are willing to give him another chance.

Nate has chased a lot of thieves during his career, but there is something about Sophie Devereaux that he finds irresistible. The thrill he gets chasing her is unlike anything else, and it is more than just her incredible skill. He stares out the window and imagines himself running through the streets of Rome, searching for her, tracking her down, and finally capturing her. The thought makes him feel flushed.

He is about to say yes, and then he notices the framed photo of Maggie and Sam on his desk. Guilt rises in his chest. He knows that if he were to call them and say that he has to take this case, they would be completely supportive. They would probably even try to hide their disappointment to spare his feelings. But he cannot bear to let work come in the way of family time yet again.

“I’m sorry, sir. I can’t.” He tries to hide his regret as he hands the file back towards his boss.

Later when he hears that Sterling has been sent to Rome instead of him, he feels the bitter ache of jealousy. It is a feeling he cannot completely shake until Sterling returns empty-handed three weeks later.

 

2\. New York

Nate cannot believe his luck when he searches the hotel room and finds the stolen Degas rolled up in some luggage in the back of the closet. For weeks he has been chasing Sophie through New York after she stole the Degas from a wealthy collector. He had lost her trail a few days ago, but fortunately managed to find her staying at this hotel under a different alias. He is not sure why she has stayed in New York for so long after the job. Usually she flees a city as soon as she has the goods, and he wonders if she is planning an even larger heist.

Looking around her room, he guesses that she is planning on staying several more days. Besides the painting, the closet is full of clothes and truly impressive number of shoes. He wonders how she manages to run around the world with so much stuff in tow. 

Before returning the painting to the client, Nate decides to wait and catch her returning to the hotel room. He could call the police with what he has found and have them arrest her, but he does not want to give up the satisfaction of being the one to finally catch the elusive Sophie Devereaux.

As he waits, he searches the hotel room for any clues as to why she is still in New York. It feels oddly intimate, being in her hotel room and going through her things. There are not too many clues lying around, but when he goes through her jacket pockets, he finds a napkin with an address scribbled on the back. By now it is dinner time, and he reasons that if she is not back yet, she will probably not return until much later. He decides to investigate his only lead before taking the painting back to the client.

The address turns out to be a small theater in Brooklyn. From the poster outside, they have recently opened a production of “Hamlet.” He circles the building, trying to figure out why this place is important to Sophie. Nate assumes that it must have a connection to the painting she has stolen. Perhaps she is meeting a buyer here, or is using this place to store her stolen pieces of art. 

Someone has left the back door to the theater open, and Nate slips inside. He tries not to attract attention as he sneaks through the back row of the theater, which thankfully is only about half full. Halfway across, he freezes when he hears a familiar voice. He would recognize her anywhere. He turns and stares at the stage, where Sophie is giving a truly terrible performance as Ophelia.

Fascinated, he slides into a seat in the back row. He has seen her conn so many people, slipping seamlessly into a new persona each time, and yet on stage she is the exact opposite. Her acting is uncomfortable and raw, her emotions pouring out without rhyme or reason, as she moves awkwardly across the stage. For someone so good at deception, he never would have guessed that she is such a terrible actress.

In spite of her terrible performance, or perhaps because of it, he finds himself riveted to his seat. He should get up and try to apprehend her during intermission, but he stays for the entire play. When the performance ends, he is the only one in the audience to applaud her enthusiastically. She searches the crowd to find her fan, and their eyes meet across the theater. He knows that by the time he makes it backstage, she will already be gone, and for a moment he wishes that they could press pause on this cat and mouse game that they have been playing so that he can tell her just how much he enjoyed seeing her performance.

 

3\. Milan

“Not that we aren’t grateful to have your assistance, Mr. Ford, but does IYS really think it’s necessary to have an Insurance Investigator on site for the opening?”

Nate does not take his eyes off the crowd as he answers the museum head of security. “IYS takes theft very seriously. We have reason to believe that your exhibit is going to be targeted by a well-known art thief.” 

He omits the fact that “we” actually means “he,” and that he had had to beg his boss to let him come out here. But as soon as he heard about this opening, he knew that it was just the sort of event to attract Sophie. She always had a weakness for Degas.

The head of security starts babbling about all the new upgrades that they have recently installed to deter theft, but Nate barely pays attention as he scans the room for Sophie. He is just starting to think that maybe he is wrong, that she is not going to be here, when he spots her standing near the entrance. She is talking to the museum curator, who seems enchanted by her. Sophie has not spotted him yet, and he smiles smugly as he walks towards her.

“Ahh, Mr. Ford,” the curator says, “have you met Annie Kroy? Ms. Kroy, this is Nathan Ford, from the insurance company.”

She is skilled enough that she is able to quickly cover her shock at seeing him, but he takes great satisfaction in the momentary look of surprise in her eyes. She extends her hand. “Mr. Ford.”

He takes her hand. “Ms. Kroy.”

Sophie frowns at the curator. “Is there reason to doubt the security of these paintings?”

The curator hastily reassures her that everything is fine. “Mr. Ford is just being thorough, but there is no cause for alarm. We just upgraded our security system. In fact, if you’ll excuse me, I need to discuss some of the changes with our head of security.”

After he leaves, Nate smiles smugly at her. “Annie Kroy?”

She drops her voice. “What are you doing here, Mr. Ford?”

“I could ask you the same thing, Ms. Kroy.”

“I came for the exhibit.”

He smiles smugly. “I knew you would. You have a weakness for Degas.”

Sophie frowns. “Admiring the man’s work is hardly a weakness.”

“It is if that admiration leads you to steal it.”

“Look around, Mr. Ford. Nothing’s been stolen.”

“Yet.”

Sophie raises her eyebrows. A waiter passes by with a tray of champagne flutes, and Sophie takes one. “Is that why you’re here? In case I might steal a painting insured by IYS.”

“Yes.”

She smiles. “I’m flattered that you went to all the trouble. Or did you just want to see me again.”

Her words hit uncomfortably close to home, and he coughs. “Whatever you’re planning, it’s not going to work.”

Sophie gives him a teasing smile and raises the champagne flute to her lips. “We’ll see.”

Nate does not take his eyes off her all night. He watches her wander through the gallery, admiring the paintings and chatting with the guests and museum staff, while he stands off to the side, surveying the event solemnly. Despite her initial shock at seeing him, she now seems to be enjoying the attention. A few times she smiles and winks at him when she notices him staring at her.

Despite his best efforts, he does not catch her doing anything illegal the entire evening. Just before the gallery closes, she approaches him again.

“Did you enjoy the exhibit, Mr. Ford?”

“Did you, Ms. Devereaux?”

She smiles serenely, and Nate can tell that his presence has not had the slightest impact on her plans. He is more certain than ever that she has managed to steal a painting, and he is not about to let her get away with it.

“I’m going to need you to come with me and answer a few questions,” he says firmly.

Sophie raises her eyebrows. “About what, Mr. Ford? Your imaginary art theft?” She leans towards him and adds quietly, “You know, if you don’t want me to leave, you could just ask me to have a drink with you.”

The familiar guilt rises in his chest as he realizes just how much he wants to ask her for that drink, and not just so he can interrogate her about whatever job she is working. But he shakes his head. “I don’t think that would be appropriate,” he says stiffly.

“Too bad.” There is a shadow of disappointment in her smile, or perhaps that is just his imagination. “Well then if you aren’t going to arrest me, Mr. Ford, I should be going.” She touches his shoulder. “But it was good to see you again.”

He flies back to LA the next day, and his boss gives him a hard time about going to Milan for no reason. But that is nothing compared to his boss’s anger when, two months later, it is discovered that one of the Degas paintings has been replaced by forgery.

 

4\. Florence

“Did you have fun, Nate?”

Nate looks up from his drink at the coy smile on Sophie Devereaux’s face. “Bringing a thief to justice is always rewarding.”

Her smile turns into a knowing smirk. “That isn’t what I asked.” She leans forward drops her voice so no one can overhear them. “Admit it. You had fun conning the mark.”

“I was just doing my job,” he says stiffly, but the words sound flimsy even to him. Teaming up with a well-known art thief is hardly part of his job description, and he knows that his bosses at IYS would be furious if they ever found out that she helped him get the Monet back. He will have to be careful when he writes his report to make it seem like he did all the work himself. But the truth is that he could not have gotten the painting back without her.

He takes a sip of his whiskey and turns the question back around to her. “What about you? What was in it for you?”

“Well you did promise to compensate me for my services.”

“You didn’t do this for the money, Sophie.” Part of him is still convinced that this is all part of an elaborate con, but in the past two weeks he has watched her carefully without finding a single sign that she plans to double cross him. Now the painting is safely back at the museum, the thief in the hands in the local police, and he still has no idea why she is helping him.

She shrugs. “Maybe I just like the game. It was a kind of fun playing your side of things.” She gives him a small smirk. “Maybe next time we could play my side together. I bet you’d be good at it.”

He shakes his head. “I’m not a thief.”

“You just helped me steal that painting back from our mark,” she points out.

He drains the rest of his whiskey. “Steal it back,” he counters, but she sits there smugly with a knowing smile on her face. Not for the first time Nate wonders if she can read minds.

“Another round?” Sophie asks sweetly.

He checks his watch. He probably should go to bed. He has to catch an early flight back to LA, but part of him is not ready to say goodbye to her just yet. “One more,” he says, and she gestures to the bartender.

Two more whiskeys later, and he seriously hopes that she cannot tell what he is thinking, or else he is going to be in trouble. He fiddles with his wedding band, and when she brushes her fingers against his arm, he pulls away quickly.

“I’m married,” he says hoarsely.

Sophie withdraws her hand. “I know.”

“I -- I can’t --” he stammers.

“Is that really what you think of me, Nate?” He is surprised to see that she seems genuinely hurt by what he is implying. “You can relax. Seducing a married man isn’t my style.” She stands to leave. “It’s getting late. I should go.”

He stands up. “Sophie --” He does not want her to leave, but he knows that it is probably for the best. “How should I get the money to you?”

She shrugs. “Like you said, it was never about the money. Let’s just say that you owe me a favor.”

He is not sure what that means exactly. His bosses are not going to let him stop chasing her, and he senses that she is not asking for that. From what he can tell, she enjoys their cat and mouse game as much as he does, particularly as she is able to get away most of the time. But he nods. “Okay.”

She smiles at him. “Until next time, Nate.”

 

5\. Chicago

Nate is walking to his usual bar when he catches a glimpse of Sophie in the crowd. It only takes a second before she disappears, but he has chased her for so long. He would know her anywhere. Instinctively he hurries after her. She has no idea he is there, and in the heavy crowd she cannot get far.

But the pounding in his head and the anxiety crawling just beneath his skin makes it hard for him to concentrate on the chase. Everything is too loud, too bright, too hot, and all he wants is to find a cool, quiet bar where he can take the edge off. The last time he did this, he was not suffering from that fun combination of hangover and withdrawal, but he is determined to push through it and not lose her again.

It occurs to him that after all these years, he finally does not have to resist the attraction that has been there since the first time they met in Damascus. Everything that once stood between them -- his job with IYS, his wife, his son -- is gone now, and there is nothing to stop him from taking her back to his hotel and finally sleeping with her.

Pushing through the crowd, Nate manages to spot her as she waits to cross the street. She is dressed casually, meant to blend into the crowd, but she is no less beautiful than when she is wearing an evening gown and her finest jewels. He is about to approach her when he catches sight of his own reflection in a store window.

While she may look just as he remembers, he is a different story. He barely recognizes the face that stares back at him. A steady diet of guilt and alcohol has left him looking haggard and worn. Even though he has only been chasing her for a few minutes, his heart is racing, and he feels sweaty and nauseated.

The thin fantasies that he has been clinging to during his dash down the sidewalk evaporate. If he catches her now, there will be none of the witty banter and teasing that they shared before. They will not flirt, and she will not come back with him to his hotel room. No, she will look at him with shock and pity like everyone else who knew him before, and he cannot bear to see that in her eyes. He needs someone out there to remember him as he was when he was at the top of his game, before his life came apart at the seams and everything he worked so hard for crumbled into ash. He turns quickly and walks back towards the bar before she can spot him in the crowd. 

He does not intend to stay in Chicago long term, but in the weeks after he spots her, he finds himself lingering. It had been too painful to stay in LA, and after signing the divorce papers, he had packed everything he had left and driven east. He had meant to go back to Boston, for no other reason than it used to be home. But after he sees her in Chicago, he finds himself unable to leave the city -- and her -- behind.

 

+1. San Lorenzo

The hotel bar has a truly impressive selection of whiskey and a beautiful view of the city, but Nate does not let them enjoy the two together in case someone recognizes Sophie. Instead, he buys a bottle of their finest Irish whiskey and invites her upstairs to his hotel room to celebrate.

This is hardly the first time they have been alone together like this. The entire team treats his home as their headquarters, and when they are doing jobs, his hotel room becomes their base of operations. But there is something very intimate about tonight. He takes a seat on his bed and instead of sitting in a chair, she lounges beside him.

They talk about the job and the team, but after a few drinks, Sophie changes the subject to the past.

“Do you remember that time in Milan?”

He swirls his glass of whiskey and smiles at the memory. “When I almost caught you.”

She smiles. “But you didn’t catch me.”

“I knew you were involved.”

“But you couldn’t prove it.”

“Want to tell me how you did it?” He finishes his drink and pours himself another, then tops off her glass as well.

She smiles mysteriously at him. “Not particularly, no.”

“And where is it now? Did you sell it on the black market to the highest bidder?”

“It’s somewhere safe.”

“You always had a fondness for Degas.”

She falls silent and takes a drink before admitting, “They remind me of when I was a little girl.”

She does not provide any further explanation, and Nate knows better than to ask for it. Sophie likes to keep her past to herself, but occasionally she will share a little detail with him. Her comment about taking viola lessons as a child, and now this about Degas. He wonders if these things are true facts about her past, or if they are details that she has made up for her Sophie Devereaux alias.

She must notice him lost in thought because she leans towards him and asks, “What are you thinking about?”

“Trying to figure out if your fondness for Degas is part of the real you or not.”

“There’s only one me, Nate. That’s why I left, to find myself.”

The memory of her leaving still hurts more than he wants to admit. He drains his glass of whiskey. “And yet you still won’t tell me your real name.”

She gives him a teasing smile. “Well I did give you a hint at Christmas.”

Something about her smile makes him feel flushed and lightheaded, or maybe it is all the whiskey he has been drinking. He leans back against the headboard to steady himself. “Always playing games, Sophie.” 

“I know you, Nate. You like the games,” she says, relaxing beside him.

He hates to admit even to himself how right she is. “I thought you said that we were done with that though. No more running and chasing.”

She smiles and nods. “No more running and chasing. Now we’re partners in crime.”

Instinctively he feels himself pulled towards her, until he is so close that their noses are nearly touching. “Friends.”

He can feel the warmth of her breath on his lips as she murmurs, “Exactly.”

“Good,” Nate says, as he closes the last few inches between them.


End file.
